Month: September 2022

If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:

CrossPointe Community Church
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215

MORNING PRAYER

Alan Robbins

Dear Heavenly Father, as we think about the words from today’s prayer song, “A place where there all is joy and peace, Near to the heart of God.” I often pray for those that very ill and are on their journey to God. How joyful they might be to have that opportunity to see God and ease the pain and sorrow they may be experiencing while on earth. This is what helps to motivate me to pray for those that are ill, those that are grieving or those that are hurting in any way.

We pray for God’s strength and God’s heart and God’s Peace to those families and leaders in Ukraine, neighboring countries, or any area of our world as they fight the evils that surround them.

Let us take a few moments to silently pray for those in need and those on the Church’s prayer list (pause to pray).

Thank you, Lord, as we give God’s Glory ….and Grace…… and Joy….and Refuge…… and Strength….. and Love ….and Peace ….and the Holy Spirit to our community and the world in which we live.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen

SCRIPTURE

What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7

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If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:

CrossPointe Community Church
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215

SCRIPTURE

To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. H He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 15:11-32

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If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:

CrossPointe Community Church
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215

On August 14, in a message from Luke 12, titled Expirement Planning, we noted that the passage taught three things: (1) wise stewards recognize that God is the owner of everything we have, (2), that sharing rather than hoarding them makes us rich toward God, and, (3) we should be committed to seeking first the Kingdom of God rather than our own kingdom.

A week later, in a message titled Blest be the Tithe that Binds, I said very clearly that Christians are not required to tithe; (give 10% to God’s Kingdom as the Law of Moses prescribed for the people of God in Old Testament times). However; we also noted that the New Testament in general and Jesus, in particular, taught that what was required under the law should be exceeded under grace. This is why many Christians not only tithe but also go beyond the tithe.

And I promised that today I would conclude this brief series on Christian stewardship by offering you some very practical advice. That advice actually comes from the Apostle Paul who in today’s text counsels: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:7).

But let’s not take that verse out of context.

SCRIPTURE

Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.

So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.

II Corinthians 8:1-9

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If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:

CrossPointe Community Church
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215

SERMON

The Riches of God’s Love

Matthew Weber

Good morning! Fancy seeing you here. Today I thought we should discuss a topic that has a deep effect on our perception and understanding of God. God’s character. With specific regard to His love. All too often, people have this image of God in their heads where He’s an angry deity waiting to strike them down at any second for whatever transgressions they may have committed, or that He’s perpetually disappointed in them. Sometimes we feel like God is a harsh master, and even when we look at Him as a father, we see Him as an angry one. This is a spiritually crippling misconception that often leads to mental illness in people and ruins their walk with God. So today, I want to help you truly understand the riches of God’s love toward you, and just what kind of God He really is.

A great place to start is to understand the meaning of a word that describes an essential part of God’s character. It’s a Hebrew word with no direct English translation, and that word is Hesed. It’s actually pronounced with more of a phlegm type thing going on like chesed, or chased, but I’m just going to say hesed. Hesed is often rendered as loving-kindness or steadfast love in English Bibles. Hesed is the love of God that endures. The same love God showed Israel every time he restored them after they turned on him. It is a love that is faithful, and persistent. People often think God was harsh in the Old Testament, but I find myself constantly amazed at His patience and mercy, because no matter how many times Israel left God, He kept coming back to them. His hesed prevailed time after time.

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